Oil spill in the Kerch Strait: The Ministry of Natural Resources has addressed whether there is a threat to Odessa.

There is no threat to the coast of Odessa from the oil spill caused by Russian tankers. Currently, the pollution, which covers an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometers, has reached the coast of Crimea.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing Ukraine's Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk, during a telethon.

According to Hrynchuk, over 15,000 birds and 30 dolphins have died due to the oil spill.

"We conducted modeling using satellite images to see how the pollution might spread and whether there is a threat to the coast of Odessa. As of today, there is no such threat; at least for the next week, we have assessed that there is no threat. However, we continue to monitor the situation," she explained.

Today, the pollution has reached the southern and southwestern coasts of Crimea. In the areas of Sevastopol and the village of Kacha, oil patches have been recorded extending up to 15 kilometers. Specifically, the contamination has reached the territory of Yevpatoria and several settlements north of the city.

Yesterday, January 9, an additional patch measuring about 450 square kilometers was recorded, which is broken into patches ranging from 5 to 15 kilometers in length.

"In the near future, we plan to hold an extraordinary meeting of the Black Sea Commission to make appropriate decisions, if we manage to hear information from Russia, which is also part of this commission. If they decide to join, of course," the minister stated.

Additionally, as Hrynchuk noted, Ukraine is preparing relevant lawsuits in international courts for violations of the Convention on the Law of the Sea and other conventions.

Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait

On December 15, in the Kerch Strait, two Russian tankers, "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239," sank due to a severe storm. It became known that one tanker had an accident near the port of "Kavkaz," leading to a leak of at least 3,000 tons of oil into the sea.

According to a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the oil could reach territories controlled by Ukraine.

For more information about the accident involving Russian tankers near Crimea, refer to the article by RBK-Ukraine.